World Tourism Day (WTD) is held annually on 27 September.
Its purpose is to foster awareness among
the international community of the importance of tourism and its
social, cultural, political and economic value. The event seeks to
address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.
Establishment of World Tourism Day
It was at its third session
(Torremolinos, Spain, September 1979), that the UNWTO General Assembly
decided to establish World Tourism Day, beginning in 1980. This date was
chosen to coincide with an important milestone in world tourism: the
anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on 27 September 1970.
The timing of World Tourism Day is
particularly appropriate in that it comes at the end of the high season
in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of the season in the
southern hemisphere, when tourism is on the minds of millions of people
worldwide.
World Tourism Day theme and official celebrations
WTD is celebrated by events around the themes selected by the UNWTO General Assembly, on the recommendation of the UNWTO Executive Council.
While UNWTO invites people of all ages
and backgrounds to hold and take part in celebrations in their
respective country or holiday destination, official WTD celebrations
take place in a UNWTO Member State, on the basis of geographic rotation.
A very important day for the tourism stakeholders
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